Witness to History: Recalling the Seven Golds of Our 'Queen of the Disc,' Especially Barcelona 2010

The author recounts a special recognition from the European Athletics Association and the International Association of Sports Journalists (AIPS) at the recent European Championships in Birmingham. This event honored journalists and photojournalists who have covered ten or more European Athletics Championships. For the author, Birmingham marked their tenth championship, a journey that began in Budapest in 1998 when Croatian athletics was still in its nascent stages.

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Birmingham was my tenth European Athletics Championship that I followed live. It all started back in 1998 in Budapest.

Back in 1998, the focus was on the legacy of Branko Zorko, Croatia's first major athletics hero. However, a new generation of talent was emerging, including a fifteen-year-old Ivana Brkljačić. At her senior European Championship debut in Budapest, Brkljačić faced disappointment with three invalid hammer throws, leading to tears. Despite this early setback, her potential was evident, and she would go on to become a leading figure in Croatian athletics.

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In Budapest, she debuted at the senior European Championship at just 15 years old. In the hammer throw qualifiers, she had all three invalid throws. Of course, tears were inevitable.

Four years later, in Munich, the author witnessed Croatia's first athletics medal on the big stage: Siniša Ergotić's silver in the long jump with a leap of exactly eight meters. Munich also saw the senior debut of Blanka Vlašić, then a junior. Both Vlašić and Brkljačić arrived as reigning junior world champions, Vlašić in high jump and Brkljačić in hammer throw. Vlašić finished fifth in the high jump final, clearing 1.89 meters. A mere 0.03 meters higher would have secured her a medal. Brkljačić, meanwhile, again missed the final, later revealing a significant dispute with her coach, Ivan Ivančić.

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In Munich, I witnessed the first Croatian medal since I started following athletics on the big stage. Siniša Ergotić won silver in the long jump.

The 2006 European Championships in Gothenburg marked the only time since 1998 that Croatia failed to win a medal. This changed dramatically in 2010 in Barcelona, where Croatia achieved a remarkable feat, securing two gold medals and ranking tenth among the most successful nations. This performance remains Croatia's best at a European Championship. The period that followed saw the rise of stars like Sandra Perković and Blanka Vlašić, dominating major competitions.

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We won two golds and finished in tenth place in the rankings of the most successful teams. We have never repeated such a result at European championships since.